Divided We Stand
by Mirime Kisarrastine
Summary: With Edolas teetering on the brink of destruction, both Jellal and Erza must set aside their differences and work together towards a common goal. Gradual Mystwalker, T for now. Canon compliant
1. Chessboard

I got stuck working on Arrangement. I have three chapters for that fic on the verge of completion but every draft comes out wrong. Maybe I'm conceited but I pride myself on giving my readers a decent read so in the mean time, I'm going to put up this story that has been on my mind for close to a year now. Prepare for a long and bumpy ride. And enjoy :D

Disclaimer: The characters and settings belong to Hiro Mashima. The plot is mine. I stand to receive no monetary gain from this writing venture.

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><p><strong>Chapter 1: Chessboard<strong>

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><p>The figures on the chessboard trembled suddenly and a slender female hand paused above one, waiting for the trembling to pass. The tableau of the white knight and a waiting hand above it remained for almost a minute before the tremors stopped and the hand moved the figure into a new position.<p>

"This one wasn't so bad," a gravely, old voice mused into the unnatural silence pervading the room.

"Nothing got spilled this time," the young woman playing with the white figures agreed. The old man sitting opposite her moved his bishop, this new move forcing her to move one of her two remaining pawns into a blocking position. He countered with his queen and after a moment of deliberation, the woman reached to tip her king over, signaling her surrender.

"Giving up so easily, Erza?"

"My mind's not on the game tonight," Erza Knightwalker admitted, her gaze unwillingly moving towards a heap of letters and parchments on the side table.

"Any news?" the man inquired as he started to put away the figures.

"A hurricane hit Louen last night. Sugarboy was sent to head the rescue and relief operations while Hughes remained behind to coordinate other actions," she was frowning, obviously displeased with the arrangement.

"What would you have done?"

"I would have sent Hughes. He comes from Louen and given how emotionally invested he can become, it would be better to have his energy directed by having him right in the place. He won't focus well, having to remain in the Royal City while his home town struggles with this."

The old man nodded in agreement before regarding her shrewdly.

"But it would be best to have you as the main coordinator, don't you think?"

Erza stiffened, her back going even more rigid than her usual military posture.

"It's not my place to question my orders, Your Highness."

Faust, the former King of Edolas looked at his companion and chuckled.

"Rumours reach even this distant fortress, Captain. And when one of the most loyal soldiers blow up at the King, accusing him of incompetence and diminished mental capacities, well, it's a talk of the day. Or month as this was the case."

Erza had the grace to blush. She knew damn well that her behaviour that day had been unacceptable. But the way he had treated her was as well. She wasn't vain. She and most of the others knew that she was the single most competent soldier in the Edolas' service. And just as the series of natural disasters had began to ravage the kingdom, the new King, still wet behind the ears, had decided to send her to this distant outpost, with a transparent excuse of keeping an eye on his exiled father.

Faust had become a changed man after his brush with the three Dragon Slayers. It was as if all of his arrogance and aspirations had been beaten out of him. He was now a mere old man, with only memories of his former glory and a slightly self-deprecating outlook on life. He was not a threat to the throne nor to anyone else. And yet, the new King had stuck her as his babysitter. It was infuriating. The King had dismissed her so casually, for no good reason and just at the moment when Edolas had needed her so much.

Two months had passed since the day the magic had disappeared and while Scarlet had been right that people hadn't needed it to live, the fact had remained that the reconstruction was going to take a lot of time.

And that's when Edolas had gone to hell.

It had begun with the earthquakes, shortly followed by tsunamis in the coastal regions. Intense storms with tornados had been ravaging the mainlands while hurricanes struck islands and peninsulas. The world was falling apart and no one knew how to stop it. The army was stretched thin in an effort to save lives wherever possible. The most stable regions were overflowing with refugees and the scientists employed by the kingdom worked around the clock to find a reason for all of this.

Because the situation was unnatural and everyone knew it.

"Erza?" Faust's voice dragged her away from her dark musings. "It's getting late and my old body needs rest."

"I'll call for your escort," she snapped to one of her few duties with a dilligence that marked all of her work. After summoning a guard and sending Faust off with him - an unnecessary precaution as she well knew - she dropped her eyes at the empty chessboard. She struggled with an urge to throw it against the wall but knew better than that. No, she would have to vent her frustrations the old-fashioned way. Shutting the door of the study, she strode off in the direction of the training grounds, the only positive thing to come out of this fiasco being her increased fighting abilities.

"Bastard," she snarled to herself, thinking of the marked face of her new souvereign for the last time that evening, before immersing herself into a kata to practice her new dual wielding style.

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><p>Jellal had been avoiding his mirror for almost a week now. He knew without looking that he had to look terrible. He couldn't remember the last time he had a full night's sleep, nor could he remember a single meal that hadn't been interrupted by the trembling ground. His lunch had ended on the ground more than once when the shaking got bad. And there was nothing he could do.<p>

His helplessness grated on him more than he would admit. He didn't know what to do. Sure, he hadn't expected this to be easy but how was he supposed to deal with a situation that was, as far as anyone could tell, unique?

Edolas was getting torn to bits by its own environment. The nature had already caused many casualties and the damage was getting worse with every single day. Jellal prayed for a solution to be found even though part of him was afraid, despite knowing better, that this was merely a divine retribution on the proud nation that had dragged the rest of the world down with them and that there was nothing a mortal could do.

The same opinion was shared by many people out there. Their gods, the Exceeds, had left and the world remained without its guardians. Surely, people whispered, there must have been a transgression so great that they had to be punished for it, not only by having the magic taken away, but also with the destruction of their world. What exactly the transgression had been, no one knew. The more superstitious of the soldiers thought it had been the use of Doroma Anim that was the sin and though their superiors did their best to suppress such rumours, they still existed.

That was the main reason for sending his father away, unless someone took it into their head to appease the higher powers by killing the former King. But sending Erza with him was a mistake and he saw that now. Hughes and Sugarboy were competent enough but they lacked cetain of the leadership qualities that Erza had possessed. Jellal knew he should have dealt with his issues with Erza instead of sending her away but he hadn't been thinking clearly back then and now, he was too mortified to face her again.

"I'm such an idiot," he moaned as he let his head thump down on his crossed arms. He spent more time in his study than anywhere else, dealing with report after report, his hand cramped from writing and his eyes burning from reading.

"Your Majesty?" a tentative knock on the door roused him from his self-pity session. Coco had lost a lot of exuberance in these dark days but she stuck to her messenger job, doing her best to cheer him up.

"Come in, Coco," he called out, not bothering to raise his head. He knew he was a mess and Coco knew as well. There was no sense in trying to pretend otherwise.

The tiny messenger girl entered timidly, holding several messages in her hand.

"Hughes sent his daily report," she said, handing over one document which Jellal skimmed briefly through, intending to read it over more thoroughly later. "I heard a talk in the barracks," she added uncertainly, knowing that her news would upset the King greatly but he deserved to know.

"What about?" Jellal asked, his mind still dwelling on Hughes' report.

"They are thinking of petitioning you to recall Erza-san back."

Jellal froze. He had been told several times by his officers, most recently by Hughes, that they needed Erza back. He always replied he would think about it but he really didn't. Thinking about Erza reminded him of what a fool he had been and with everything else that was happening, he simply didn't have the will to depress himself further.

"Anything else?" he asked after a pause that was simply too long and Coco noticed.

"Why don't you call her back?"

"I need her guarding my father, if someone decides to attack him over the situation."

That much was true but it was a small part of the truth.

"But why guard him? You don't like him much," Coco said bluntly and with a shrewdness beyond her age.

"He's still my father, Coco, no matter how much I wish otherwise. I won't stand by and let him be killed."

"Still, someone other than Erza-san-" Coco started to argue but was interrupted by a knock on the door.

"Your Majesty, sorry for intruding," a black-haired man with a very feminine appearance and glasses perched haphazardly on his nose stuck his head in.

"It's alright, Laharl," Jellal was grateful for the interruption of the talk that was getting too uncomfortable for him. "What is it?"

Laharl Feyman, the Director of the Royal Science Academy, took a deep breath before speaking up.

"I think we found the solution, Your Majesty. We know what's wrong with the world."

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><p><strong>AN:** And with that nice cliffhanger, I'm concluding the first chapter of _Divided We Stand_. Thanks go to Mel, a.k.a. Sidi, for helping me come up with the title. I also want to thank my regular readers for keeping their faith in me and to ask them to keep doing so. I'll finish all of my FT projects, that's a promise. See ya, hopefully, soon...


	2. Opening Moves

I've been without an internet connection for two weeks by now... the horror! I'm updating this from an internet cafe since the situation won't improve for another two weeks at least. *sobs* Thank you to everyone who gave this story a chance, I appreciate all of your comments, favouriting etc. This chapter is chock-full of explanations and setting up the plot so bear with it, please. We'll get on to more fun things soon.

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><p><strong>Chapter 2:<strong> Opening Moves

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><p>The Kingdom of Edolas had always been known as the most advanced country in the world, be it in the magic, army or science. It had been their supremacy in many fields that had allowed them to expand so much and to create the world-spanning empire the likes of which had never been seen. The Royal Science Academy had always received a generous funding from the state's treasury, especially with their research into an experimental magic. And it seemed that the money had been put to use in the most advantageous way possible.<p>

Jellal kept looking around at the hive of activity as Laharl led him through the heart of the Academy's Research Center into a room that was dominated with a table map of the world, small flags of various colours spattered across the surface. A row of monitors at the back wall was full of many data that Jellal wasn't able to decipher.

It was here that the Anima project had received its final shape, as well as the Dragon Chain Cannon. No matter the moral and ethical ramifications of those projects, scientifically speaking they were works of a genius. Hopefully, that same genius had come up with a solution.

"Your Majesty," Laharl began, pushing his glasses up his nose again. "First of all, I have to ask how familiar are you with a theory behind the workings of the magic?"

"You mean how the spells are cast?"

"No, no, no. Not the spell casting. Just pure magic. What is it? How it works? Where it comes from? Where does it disappear? Things like that."

Jellal shook his head.

"No, I'm afraid I don't know."

Laharl sighed. One of his assistants ran in, stabbed a red flag into the map and ran out again. Laharl gestured at the table.

"This was actually our first step. The flags are colour-coded for the various disasters striking the world - red for the hurricanes, orange for the storms, black for the earthquakes and so on. Take a look for yourself."

Jellal stepped closer, looking over the familiar shapes of his world. It was covered in those little flags and his throat tightened as he realized what it meant. No place was safe anymore. No place...

"Wait a minute," he spoke up, pointing to the right side of the map. "What's this?"

"So you noticed," Laharl said approvingly. "That's the only area that has been more or less left untouched by all of this."

Racking his brain for a moment, Jellal came up with the answer.

"That's Umbria."

"Correct, Your Majesty."

Umbria was a country of little importance. It consisted of one small continent and several smaller islands, all of them being in such a distant part of the world that the land had been left more or less alone. The harsh deserts making up the majority of the land and very few other resources didn't make it appealing either. The last Jellal heard of it, it served as a penal colony of sorts, a place of banishment for those who resisted the Kingdom but whose infractions weren't considered grave enough to deserve the capital punishment.

"What's so special about it?"

From what Jellal could see in the map, the worst Umbria had gotten in the last months had been being caught on an edge of a couple of hurricanes, nothing more.

"Well, it's just a theory but it all fits together nicely," Laharl said as he moved forward. "According to the myths and legends, Edolas was created when the Exceeds released the hidden magic and the magic then shaped the land into its current appearance. It created the floating islands, dictated the flow of the waters, raised the mountains and leveled the plains. We don't have any proof of that of course, but it's a viable theory so we are going to accept it as the fact that the world as we know it was shaped by the magic. That is the first point we have to notice.

Now, to get back to my original question. What exactly is the magic? Simply put, the magic is energy. It has its own potential, has been used as a source of warmth for years, can be used as a propulsion force et cetera. Knowing that the magic is an energy, we come to this," Laharl gestured at one of the monitors where a graph of some sort was displayed. "That an energy of any sort is basically waves of a certain length and frequency. Are you following so far, Your Majesty?"

"I think so," Jellal replied. "The world was created by the magic, the magic is a sort of energy and therefore is waves?" he finished uncertainly.

"Excellent," Laharl praised him. "You grasped it very well. Now we can finally come to the important things. One of the most famous philosophical theories is the duality theory."

Jellal blinked. He failed to see how the philosophy had anything to do with their discussion but he knew Laharl's reputation. He might dance around the issue but it led to a conclusion in the end.

"The duality theory is, simply put, the theory that everything is a balance of two opposing forces. Everything has its own counterpart."

Jellal winced at that. It was hitting too closely to the Earthland thing for his taste, especially given his guilt over the matter with Erza Knightwalker.

"The light and the darkness. The day and the night. The good and the evil. The magic," Laharl paused for a moment dramatically, "And the anti-magic, for lack of a better word."

Jellal kept looking at him, waiting for him to continue and Laharl sighed.

"The answer is the anti-magic, Your Majesty. The polar opposite of the world-shifting force, kept in check and balance by the presence of its counterpart. But once that balancing factor disappeared..." the RSA Director trailed off as Jellal finally understood.

"This anti-magic is causing all of this?"

"Yes, Your Majesty. At the very core, the two forces are identical. What they differ in is their wavelength and frequency. The magic created and shaped this world. Now that it's gone, the anti-magic is attempting to do the same. All of the happenings around the world are a result of that energy trying to shape it again."

"What can we do about it?"

"We can either balance it again, which would require finding a source of the magic somewhere which is highly unlikely, given that the reverse Anima had sucked out most of it and the little that is left is not enough to balance it out or we can get rid of it like we did of the magic."

"Then I'll order the reverse Anima opened again," Jellal said, turning around to leave the room and give the necessary orders. Laharl's voice stopped him in his tracks, though.

"It won't work, Your Majesty."

"What do you mean, Laharl?" Jellal asked, his hopes sinking again.

"First of all, we would have to recalibrate the Anima to match the frequency of the anti-magic which we don't know for sure."

"How come-"

"Because while all of the proofs point to the existence of the anti-magic, we haven't obtained a single sample of it. We can only guess at its frequency and unless we have the exact numbers, the Anima won't work. Secondly, we need to open the Anima in the proximity of the source of the anti-magic."

"Wait a moment," Jellal spoke. "The Anima that absorbed the magic two months ago worked without being in a proximity to the source."

"Wrong, Your Majesty. It sucked in the magic because it opened in the Royal Capital, the place with the highest concentration of the magic in Edolas. Moreover, the Extalia was floating above at the time. The majority of the magic was gathered close enough for the Anima to work. That's not the case this time. We need to find the highest concentration of the anti-magic first, then we have to find out the correct frequency and only after that can we open up the Anima."

Jellal stared at him.

"So what can we do to find the correct place?"

Laharl smirked proudly.

"But we already did, Your Majesty."

Jellal followed his pointing finger back to the world map. The only place untouched by the havoc that the anti-magic had been wreaking on the world. The eye of the storm, so to speak. The least important country in the world. Umbria.

"Umbria is the place where we need to go. My people are already working on constructing a mobile Anima unit that could be taken to the source and engaged as needed. Although, we will need a military escort, given the recent happenings in the region," at Jelall's blank look Laharl kept explaining. "About six months ago, Umbria declared an independence to Edolas. The outcasts in Umbria have always been left to govern themselves with no outward presence of Edolas' involvement, even though formally they fell under the jurisdiction, of course. The land was considered of no importance after all and even this outright defiance was regarded as a minor problem. And given the fact that the Anima project was reaching its conclusion, stomping out an insurgence in a remote land was a tertiary objective at best. Now, though, it's the most critical area and they won't look kindly on our presence."

Jellal nodded, his mind already racing to what could be done.

"I'll consult the Captains on the matter. You and your team keep working on the new Anima. And Laharl," he added. "Excellent work."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

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><p>Jellal knew he was prone to pacing when worried. It might have carried over from his years of wandering the Earthland or it might have been a heritage of his father. He could faintly remember the man pacing his office often, back when Jellal himself had been still a child, recently rescued by the big, friendly Exceed that would come to be such a good friend to him.<p>

He regretted not having Panther Lily there. The Exceed was wise. He would be able to advise him on what to do. Jellal had become a king woefully unprepared for the role and it kept showing. And being thrust into a middle of a crisis of such proportions didn't help the matters any. Even though they knew what was wrong and how to set it right, the problems kept piling up.

"So you are saying that entering Umbria is an impossible task right now?" Jellal adressed the people gathered in his office who had been called to be given the news. Sugarboy was the one who answered.

"I wouldn't say impossible. Difficult is a better word, given the lack of personnel we can release from the other, more pressing tasks."

"Yeah," Hughes added. "There were plans to clean Umbria out after we took the Earthland magic but they were just plans. And Erza was the one working on it."

"Captain Knightwalker?" as always, Jellal made an effort to distinguish the two women in his mind. He had made a mistake of not doing so before and it had blown up spectacularly.

"Yup," Hughes nodded, a grin on his face. "Erza is awesome. She was hunting down the remaining mages and she still found time to plan an invasion. Fucking amazing, if you ask me."

Jellal cracked a polite smile. This worship-like praising of Erza was not an intentional dig at his problems with her, he knew that. But it might have been an intentional reminder that he had been squandering a perfectly good soldier and leader in a dead-end position.

"The plans aren't around by any chance?" he asked, already knowing the answer.

"Nope," Sugarboy replied. "It isn't Erza's style."

"Why don't you call her back and have her plan it?" Jura Satter, the Captain of the Royal Capital City Guard asked. "Or if her presence with King Faust is necessary, take a time to visit with her?"

Jellal paused. The second suggestion was actually a very good one. He had come to realize he would have to make amends with her but he was reluctant to do so in the Royal Palace, the place where their argument had taken place. But a neutral ground of his father's exile would provide much better background for a possible reconciliation.

"Hughes," he turned to the young Captain. "Do you feel confident in handling the rescue efforts on your own?"

"Sure thing, Your Majesty. It's gonna be awesome."

Jellal wasn't so sure but he had no choice but to trust him.

"Good. I'll be leaving in the morning then. I'll prepare a set of instructions for all of you by then. The most important thing right now, though, is to keep things stable. We have a hope now and that must count for something."

Agreeing murmurs swept across the room and one by one, the men left the office and their young monarch to his thoughts. Jellal sat into his chair, pulled a parchment closer and started writing out his instructions for his men. He knew he wouldn't be getting any sleep that night and he feared a bit of having any kind of interaction with Erza while sleep deprived but there was no helping it. And maybe, he thought with a self-deprecating humour, he would look so terrible she would take pity on him and wouldn't shout at him too much.

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><p>Erza wiped a bead of sweat from her forehead and took a look at the practice dummy that was practically hacked to pieces. Not bad for having only two months of practice with her new toys.<p>

She twirled one of the swords in her hand before sheathing both blades and taking up her trusted spear. Her sword practice was over, now it was time to make sure she didn't get rusty with her preferred weapon. She glanced around, at the lantern lit practice grounds and then to the sky, long since darkened by the night. She had missed the chess game with Faust but the old man understood.

She needed to do this. She needed to improve herself so that when she faced HIM again, she could throw it in his face just how much better she was and how stupid he had been for dismissing her like that. Before meeting the new king, she had never thought of herself as being a petty person. Holding a grudge? Sure. Being petty? Never.

But now? Now she would prove him wrong, rub it in his face and force him to apologize to her if, no, when he finally came asking for her help. And he would come, she was sure of that. And when he did, she would be ready and he would grovel.

With a smirk that had scared hundreds of the kingdom's enemies before, Erza launched herself into her training, unaware of just how close the confrontation with Jellal was nor the actions that would be the result of the said confrontation.

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><p><em>If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear a result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained, you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.<em>

**Sun Tzu - The Art of War**

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><p><strong>AN:** So, did you follow the explanation? I hope so. Now, the stage is set and the drama can finally begin. As I said at the beginning, my internet access is rare so I won't be able to respond to you. But be assured that I cherish every single review I receive. Speaking of receiving, heh... I'm turning 25 this Sunday (25th September) so wish me a Happy Birthday, ok? See ya!


	3. First Engagement

So, the explanation was comprehensible, good. Since this story is primarily plot-driven, don't go expecting a quick resolution or a sudden romance. There are many issues to be worked through and it's going to be a bumpy ride, especially for our two protagonists.

On another note, I adore Coco. She's such a great character.

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><p><strong>Chapter 3:<strong> First Engagement

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><p>Jellal jerked up from his sleep and it took his mind a moment to realize that the shaking that woke him up was not another earthquake but rather Coco's attempts to rouse him.<p>

"Your Majesty," she kept repeating, giving his shoulder a shake with each utterance.

"I'm up, Coco," he muttered, wincing at the pain in his neck as he raised his head from the table surface. He had fallen asleep at his table. Again. When had been the last time he had gotten a full night's sleep in his bed? Jellal couldn't remember.

"I'm sorry for waking you but your escort is ready and you wanted to start early."

His escort? What? Oh, his visit with his father and Erza that almost everything hinged upon. No, that was way too dramatic. They could do it without Erza but it would certainly take more time and the kingdom couldn't afford that. No, he had to go, swallow his pride, the little that he had still left, and beg. After the way he sent her away he wasn't about to risk and alienate her even more by ordering her around.

"Give me a minute to wake up properly."

Jellal stretched out, feeling his joints pop ominously. He was barely twenty years old and he felt three times that age. A basin filled with warm water appeared before him, Coco flitting around in his periphery vision as she went about gathering things. The girl seemed to have an inexhaustible source of energy, Jellal mused as he splashed his face quickly, a towel being offered almost immediately.

"Thank you," he replied quietly and Coco nodded.

"Your personal things, clothes and such, are already loaded," she spoke up. "I packed you enough things for a week, more can be sent if necessary. Laharl-san sent copies of his research and the conclusion he had reached, they are in a blue binder with an RSA logo on it. All of the information on Umbria is in a yellow binder and information on the current state of affairs is in a black one."

"When did you manage all of that?" Jellal asked with an undisguised awe in his voice.

"Oh, last night while you were writing your instructions," Coco waved it off as no big deal. "After I sent a message to Erza-san to expect you in the late afternoon."

Jellal grimaced but let it slide. It was a protocol and Coco did nothing wrong. When a King went to one of the outposts, the commander of the said outpost was notified beforehand so he could prepare a proper greeting. Besides, Erza knowing of his arrival beforehand could actually play in his favour. She could get whatever anger she felt at the news out of her system long before he and his small entourage landed. He hoped.

"All right," he sighed, raking one hand through his hair, messing it up even more. "Let's go."

"Erm, Your Majesty?" Coco ventured timidly. "Shouldn't you change first? You had the same clothes on for the last two days and I left you spare ones in your room. It shouldn't take long."

Blushing slightly, Jellal went to his room, swearing to himself that as soon as this thing was over, Coco would get anything she asked for, as long as it was in his power to grant. She more than excelled in her role as his personal assistant and she deserved a reward for handling things the way she did. Given her age, it was even more amazing.

The clothes that Coco had laid out for him were of a thick, sturdy material, very practical for travelling on the Legyons thousands feet in the air. But even as Jellal dressed, he felt as if something was missing and he knew what. Opening his closet, he found what he was looking for at the very back. It was his, or rather Mystogan's cloak and he didn't think twice about pulling it out and putting it on. He needed all of the confidence he could muster and dressing in his old cloak soothed his nerves considerably. The cloak was a reminder of happier times, simpler times. While ragged at the bottom, it could still serve its purpose. Without really thinking about it, Jellal strode out of the room, ignoring Coco's questions and he went straight into the armory, quickly finding his old staves. They might have been without the magic but they were still eight feet of solid wood, imbued with good memories.

And once he felt their familiar and comforting weight settling on his back, he knew why he had felt the need to dress like that. He felt responsible for the current situation. He had been the one to open the reverse Anima. He had been the one thinking how clever he had been. He, as Mystogan, the runaway Prince Jellal, had been the one to come up with the plan and it was only right that it was Mystogan who would make reparations. King Jellal was an innocent party in this and as such shouldn't have been responsible for righting it. It had been Mystogan's fault and Mystogan would have to face the consequences. And if he was honest with himself, it had also been Mystogan who had sent Erza away.

"I must be crazy," Jellal said to himself quietly. And maybe he was, differentiating between his Earthland alias and his current self like that. Or it might have been his mind's attempt to prevent him becoming crazy from guilt. Regardless, he was as ready to face Erza as he ever would be.

"Your Majesty?"

"I'm ready, Coco. We can go."

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><p>It was a beautiful sunny day and Faust had decided that his health could probably take a short trip to the training grounds to see how Erza was progressing. They had received a message earlier that Jellal would visit later that day to discuss something important with Erza. The Captain had looked like she had bitten into something incredibly bitter upon hearing that and Faust could have sworn he had heard her mutter something along the lines of taking that important thing and shoving it somewhere uncomfortable. Shortly after, she had excused herself and headed to the training grounds.<p>

At his age and after his recent experiences, Faust had precious little things to keep him amused. Playing tactical games with Erza was one of those, as well as watching one of his deadliest former subordinates improve herself. But he was sure that the initial meeting between his son and the Captain would prove not only amusing but educational too. Jellal made a big blunder regarding Erza but the only known fact about that confrontation was that at the end of it Erza had blown her top. Given how composed she usually was, making her that angry was a feat in and of itself. Everyone knew she had shouted at and insulted the King for some reason. Almost no one knew what that reason was but Faust had his suspicions.

Was it possible that Erza's assignment to this place was not a punishment for her behaviour but rather the reason for that argument? From what little Erza had let slip, Faust deduced that this was indeed the case and it made Jellal's position in regards to Erza even more precarious.

"Hell hath no fury as a woman scorned," he whispered. And if Jellal had sent Erza to this outpost intentionally, she had every right to feel scorned. Erza was proud, extremely proud of her abilities and that pride was rightfully earned. To dismiss her to a dead-end position was a foolishness and an uncoiveable slight. A fact that Jellal had apparently come to realize. Oh yes, their meeting would be a memorable one for sure.

The clang of the weapons drew his attention to the training ring where Erza had been facing off three soldiers at once. She was wielding two swords, due to her new style of fighting that was to supplement her already considerable prooves with a spear. He watched as she twisted, the blunted training swords merely glints of metal before she slashed them down a soldier's back and pushed him away with her foot, facing the remaining two.

She tossed the right sword up, catching it in a reverse grip and she smashed the hilt into a face of the smaller man. He stumbled backwards, his hands covering his face. She had most likely broken his nose but she didn't pay any attention once he was out of the fight. She changed the grip on the swords again and ducked a broad swing from her last remaining opponent. As she rolled past him, she hit the back of his knees with the broad sides of her blades, sending him down. Next second she was standing behind him, one of her swords lightly resting at the nape of his neck. A flawless victory and Faust applauded.

Erza jerked, her eyes seeking the source of the sound. Upon seeing the former King, she relaxed marginally and accepted his praise with a small nod.

"Are you done with your training?" Faust called out.

"For now," Erza replied, tossing the training swords to a weaponmaster who waited outside the ring. She spared a glance for the man with a broken nose and saw him already heading to a healer's room, one hand still pressed to his face. She shrugged, not really feeling sorry for him. When she was in a bad mood, she sparred only with volunteers and it was understood that whatever injuries they suffered, they wouldn't complain and she wouldn't apologize. They knew what she was like and they knew she would hold herself back from permanently maiming or disabling them. Anything else was acceptable.

"How long until he arrives?" Faust asked, once Erza reached him. She pressed her lips tightly together.

"An hour, I presume. It depends on how many stops they made along the way, if any."

"Everything ready for his welcome?" he continued prying, secretly amused by her reactions. Her lips were practically invisible by then and she was clenching her fists tightly.

"We are a small garrison but we did our best," she said in a clipped voice.

"And you?"

"What about me?" she spoke quickly.

"Are you ready to face my son?"

"Of course," she replied in a tightly controlled voice. "I have done nothing that would deserve a reprimand."

"Yet."

She stiffened but let the comment pass. Faust sighed, leaning more heavily onto his walking cane.

"He's a stupid boy, Erza, not your enemy."

The fact that she let that insult to her King slide was more telling than anything else. You have a hard work ahead of you, son, Faust mused.

"Captain Knightwalker!" a young page was hurrying to them. "The King has been spotted by the front guard. Their Legyons will land in about five minutes."

Faust watched as Erza took a deep breath, her face freezing into an inscrutable mask.

"The honour guard is ready?"

"Yes, Ma'am."

"Good. We will be there shortly. You are coming as well, Your Highness, correct?"

"I wouldn't miss it for a world, Captain," Faust chuckled and weathered the annoyed glare she shot him. "But I thought you said it would take another hour for them to arrive."

"They must have flown the whole way without stopping," she said, frowning briefly. "What could be so important?" she said to herself but Faust heard the doubt in her voice. This new information threw her off. Yes, it was going to be a truly memorable meeting, indeed.

* * *

><p>The Legyons circled the fortress once, approaching for landing. There were three of them, one for Jellal and two for his escort. The large beasts were tired, their massive wings no longer beating the air with a vigour. They had been flying for nine hours straight and been pushed to their very limits. Jellal patted the neck of the one he was flying on and it crawed in response. The land shuddered as they landed but when it went on shaking, it was clear that another earthquake struck. This reminder of his mission allowed Jellal to focus again. He had been a bundle of nerves ever since the fortress silhouette had appeared on the horizon but he pulled himself together as he waited for the tremors to stop. He couldn't be scared of Erza. He needed her and more importantly, the kingdom needed her.<p>

The ground calmed down and Jellal slid off the back of his beast, taking the last moments before facing Erza to settle his staves on his back. And then, when he could no longer stall, he headed around the Legyon's massive head to the fortress' entrance.

There was a cordon of guards who all snapped to attention at his appearance. Jellal walked down this honour aisle, his own guard following quietly behind. Erza stood at the end, the old and feeble looking figure of his father behind her. Jellal caught his father's eyes and saw an amusement and expectation in them. Finally, he looked at Erza.

She was dressed in an armor of some kind, consisting of a chest plate and arm and leg gauntlets. She held her spear and there were hilts of two swords visible behind her shoulders. Her hair was longer than before and by that point, Jellal could no longer avoid the inevitable. He looked her in the eyes at last.

Erza was staring back, her whole face set in a stony expression. There was no warmth in her gaze but there was no hostility either. There was nothing. Jellal came to a stop and a suffocating silence descended on the small crowd gathered there. It was Erza who moved first.

Snapping a deep bow, she paid her King his due respect. Or so it seemed until she spoke.

"Your Majesty, welcome. We are so honoured by Your Presence. Whatever have we done to be graced by one so great as You?"

Sarcasm didn't even start to cover it. Every word was spoken in a tone of blatant disrespect and mockery. There were several quickly stifled gasps as everyone waited for the King's reaction. Jellal felt his face burn. This went beyond anything he had expected. But he needed her help dammit. He would have to swallow his pride for now and try to talk to her rationally. Hopefully, she would realize how childishly she behaved. And regardless of her feelings for him, he was still her King.

"These are stressful times, so I'll overlook this blatant disrespect for now, Captain."

She looked up at him and he almost recoiled at the burning hatred in her eyes.

"How merciful of you, my liege."

"Mind your place, Captain."

"Oh, I have been very much aware of my place. You made sure of that two months ago," she spat out. Jellal was starting to lose his patience. He had gotten very little sleep recently and this very public altercation was not helping. He had known she would confront him but he had hoped she would have enough sense to do so in private.

"This is not the time, Captain," he tried to salvage what he could.

"Of course not," she agreed suddenly. "I could be doing something important instead of this."

She was trying to push him into an argument and it was working. Damn it all to hell. He was tired from his long journey and he couldn't deal with that right then. He would have to try and set up a meeting with her when both of them cooled off. At the moment, both of them were too angry to approach the matter rationally.

"Then don't let me keep you, Captain," he dismissed her and got a twinge of satisfaction from seeing her surprise before she masked it. "I'll send for you later, though. There are things that need to be discussed. The sooner the better."

Something in his expression must have convinced her because she turned without a word and stalked off, barking a brief order at the gathered soldiers who started to disperse slowly. Whispers and covert glances were already being exchanged and Jellal knew that by the end of the week, every soldier in Edolas would know about this incident. Just as it had happened when he and Erza had had that first argument.

"See to the Legyons," Jellal told his escort and then faced his father at last. "Hello father."

"You have more self-control than I thought," Faust said. "If one of my men spoke that way to me, they would be lucky to get away with an imprisonment. 'Each man's duty is to the king'," he quoted.

"'But each man's soul is his own'," Jellal countered. "She has good reasons to be angry with me and I expected something like that."

"Though not quite that vicious, I would say."

"No, not that vicious," Jellal echoed his father's words and missed the way Faust eyed him up and down thoughtfully as they made their slow way to the inside.

"You handled the initial situation badly, sending her away like that."

"I know, father, no need to pull it out."

"There is the need because she will pull it out as well. Really, Jellal," the former King of Edolas shook his head disapprovingly. "If you wanted some fun, you should have picked another woman to warm your bed, not the most dangerous one in Edolas."

Jellal tripped over his own two feet at that. Was that what his father thought had happened? Worse, was that what everyone else thought had happened? That he and Erza had been lovers and he had sent her away when he had grown bored of her?

"We were never lovers!" he shouted, embarrassed beyond belief.

"Then she must have refused you and you-"

"Stop it right there, father!" Jellal interrupted. "Nothing, and I mean nothing, even vaguely romantic or... or sexual has ever happened between me and Erza. The reason I sent her away is deeply personal and I will talk about it with her later but stop imagining things like that."

"Very well."

They stopped in front of large oak doors and Faust gestured for Jellal to enter first.

"This is the former commander's study. I spend a lot of time here, reading or just lounging by the fire. Erza is usually here, too, when she's not training. She indulges me occasionally with a game of chess or go."

Jellal quickly took in the room. There were bookshelves on one wall, filled with books on tactics and warfare, he guessed. A large table similar to his own was under the window, filled with papers and books. Another, smaller table, was to the side, with two chairs pulled away slightly and a chessboard ready to be played on top. There was a small settee in front of the hearth and Jellal saw a table map in a corner.

"It's a nice place," he said, just to break the silence.

"It's adequate."

Faust limped over to the smaller table and sat down before looking expectantly at his son.

"She won't calm down for at least another half an hour. Why don't we have a game while you wait?"

Jellal took off his staves and cloak and then sat opposite his father, noticing that he would play the white side.

"Aren't you curious why I'm here?"

"For Erza, obviously. You certainly didn't come to ask after my health. Ungrateful son."

Jellal opened his mouth to defend himself automatically but snapped it shut. His father was right, after all.

"Well, boy?" Faust prompted him. "The white side opens the game. You know how to play, don't you?"

"I'm not stupid," he shot back, ignoring his father's "could have fooled me" and moving the first pawn forward. "Your turn."

Both father and son fell silent as they moved their pieces across the board, trying to outmaneuver each other. But several minutes into the game, Faust broke the silence.

"Do you know what was your biggest mistake concerning Erza?"

"I... I think so."

"No, you don't," Faust raised a hand to silence Jellal's protest. "Listen to me, Jellal. I don't know what reasons you had for sending her away but your mistake stemms from something else. You have apparently forgotten that Erza is a queen."

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** Aaaaaand another kind-of-cliffie. What did Faust mean by that cryptic statement? Or is it even cryptic? Ah, nevermind. It's late and I'm tired but I wanted to get this chapter out. The following one contains one of my most favourite scenes in this fic, the one scene I always knew would be in and I had it written out for close to a year now. So, let's see if I can make it in a week. Cross your fingers. Remember, the sooner I'm done with this fic, the sooner I get to the rest of them. See ya...


	4. Chessmasters

Don't get used to such fast updates, the only reason is that I had half of the chapter already written out. But I was very much amused by the fact that noone guessed correctly what Faust's remark was about, inspite of all the hints I dropped. **Dlkg** got closest, though.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 4:<strong> Chessmasters

* * *

><p>"Erza is a queen?" Jellal dropped the piece he was about to move.<p>

"Pay attention!" Faust admonished. "You said that you know how to play."

Jellal picked up his bishop and moved it two squares left.

"Explain yourself, father."

Faust leaned backwards in his chair, studying the board and seemingly ignoring his son.

"Father?"

"Quiet! I'm thinking about how to explain it to you."

At last, Faust reached over, picking up the black king.

"You have never learned to see people around you as chess pieces. Take this king, for example. The role of the king in the chess reflects a king's position in life. It's best if you keep the king well defended by other pieces, restraining its movement to minimum. That should be you, sitting tight in the palace where it's safe, not prancing all over the country, playing a messenger."

"Father!"

"I'm not finished. The chess reflects life and learning to see everyone around you in regards to their position on the chessboard would serve you well."

"People are not pawns to be played with," Jellal said with conviction, absolutely firm on this point. "It would be immoral to think about them as such."

"Idealistic nonsense," Faust waved off his argument. "You can't utilize them to their best abilities if you are squeamish of seeing them as your figures - yours to use, yours to discard, yours to sacrifice. Or do you think you will always have the luxury of choosing a high moral ground? You won't. And the sooner you realize that, the better for everyone."

"I can't agree with you, father. I just can't. It goes against everything I believe in, against everything I-"

"-have spent the last seven years doing," Faust finished for him. "And still you fail to see your arrogance. Where did you come up with the idea that you know the best? You are no better than me in that regard."

"I have never been like you!" Jellal hissed. If there was one goal, one idea in his life it was that he would never become like his father. Faust snorted which broke into a cough.

"You disagreed with my plan for obtaining the magic," the former King said after he got his coughing fit under control. "And your solution to that wasn't trying to talk me out of it or gaining a support in the Council to cancel those plans. No, you decided to run off, leaving the Kingdom without its Heir Apparent and you made a big nuisance out of yourself, sabotaging all of our efforts, efforts made for the sake of your homeland. And you did all of that just to get back at me, no matter how much you want to dress it up as playing a hero."

"I was just a child. You wouldn't have listened," Jellal protested, letting the rest of his father's argument slide for the time being.

"You were twelve. At thirteen, you would have been required to sit in on the Council meetings and even dealing with some of the problems that arose. You would have the necessary political pull to at least slow down the Anima project, if nothing else."

Jellal deflated at hearing that. He never knew of that. But he refused to believe that he was similar to the man sitting before him.

"I still don't see a similarity between us. And I wasn't trying to get back at you."

"You hated me. Yes, you did," Faust silenced his protests. "I don't think you still do but one part of you have always blamed me for the death of your mother. And back then, running away must have appeared the best way to strike at me. I lost my heir, the only reason for which I married your mother. Even if you didn't realize it then, your subconsciousness did. Tell me, was it satisfying, the first time you closed the Anima in Earthland? Did you taste a sweet tang of victory, seeing my plans thwarted by your actions?"

There was a long silence. Admitting that part of him did enjoy the knowledge that his father's plans had been ruined by him would mean admitting that his father was at least partially right. And if he was right about one thing, then he might have been right about other things as well. The thought was terrifying to Jellal. He had always strove to be different from his father, different in actions and different in beliefs.

"I'm not like you. I can't be like you."

"Arbitrarily deciding what's best for everyone? What the correct solution is? Pushing through your way of doing things? You are exactly like me, Jellal. You are my son, whether you like it or not. You can't escape that fact again."

A bitter, short laugh escaped from Jellal's mouth.

"No, I can't escape that fact. Damn it!"

The young King buried his head in his hands. He looked utterly broken and Faust might have pitied him a little if he didn't realize how necessary it was. Jellal needed to be confronted with his failings and shortcomings so that he would be able to overcome them. He needed to be pushed to his limit so that he would either push back or break down. Either way, he would come out of the confrontation wiser and stronger than before. And no one was better for that than Faust himself. He had gone through the same thing with the three Dragon Slayers. Being without an equal for so long, he had let his pride and arrogance draw him into a confrontation that had been unnecessary. If the magic used to fuel Doroma Anim had been supplied to his forces, the outcome of that fateful day might have been different. But he had decided to take on those impudent younglings himself, showing up his son in the process. And he had been beaten and broken completely. His pride had become his downfall, his entire psyche shattered upon encountering the Dragons' manifestations. He had been taught humility and that lesson brought him to the present where he tried to help his son in the only way he could - by forcing him to face up to his own demons.

As the minutes ticked by, Jellal seemed to gather himself a bit, like Faust had known he would. He was still very pale but the miniscule shaking of his hands had stopped. As he raised his face to look at his father, he looked determined.

"You were right in some things, father but you were wrong in the rest. I might have done some things wrong, thinking I knew the best way but my intention was, first and foremost, to help other people. Any other motive was secondary to that."

Faust smirked a bit. Yes, the boy had found his equilibrium again.

"Which brings us back to the point I was trying to make before we became distracted. You should have learned to see those people as pieces on the chessboard. Or at least some of them."

Seeing that he had Jellal's full attention, he picked up another of his black pieces, the game all but forgotten by both of them.

"We have already established that you are the king, the least mobile unit on the board, with the exception of pawns but infinitely more valuable. You lose the king, you lose the game. Now this," he raised his figure to show Jellal. "This is the knight. It has a peculiar movement pattern which makes it an excellent choice for ambushes and for distracting an opponent. Captains Hughes and Sugarboy are your respective knights in your game, as they have been mine. Their peculiarities make them an excellent choice for diversionary tactics and they have considerable capabilities of their own."

He picked up another piece, a rook this time.

"The rook is very straightforward, being capable of moving in a linear fashion only. The rooks are your flank defense. In real life, my rooks were the RSA and the Magical Force Units."

Jellal was starting to see where his father was going with this and he only wondered what Erza's place on this fictional chessboard was.

"Coco and Byro were my bishops. No fancy movements like the knights but fast and effective nonetheless. The pawns were almost anyone else. And now, for the most useful piece on the board. The queen."

Faust dangled the said piece in front of Jellal's face.

"The queen is not restricted in its movement. It can go back and forth by any number of squares, can even move in a diagonal line. It can be used for both offense and defense. It's extremely versatile and if you use it well, you have a sure victory. I had two queens on my board and one of them was quite willing to serve you as well."

"Two?" Jellal asked. He had worked out almost immediately that one of those queens was supposed to be Erza. Who was the other one?

"Yes, two. Erza Knightwalker and Panther Lily. Hughes and Sugarboy are competent officers and soldiers, but not quickly adaptable. Lily and Erza surpassed them in every regard. The two of them were my most useful soldiers. And Erza was more than useful. She was also incredibly loyal, not to me personally but to what I represented - the country and its people. When I quoted that 'Each man's duty is to the king' you replied 'But each man's soul is his own.' It's not true with Erza. With her, even her soul belonged to her duty. And what did you do with this incredibly useful piece? You discarded her off the board completely."

Faust dropped the queen he was holding on the table.

"You failed to realize her potential and now you are here, most likely to attempt to put her back on the board. Am I right?"

With a sigh, Jellal nodded. His father leaned back, steepling his fingers thoughtfully.

"It's not going to be easy," he warned. "You will most likely have to beg."

"I know and I'm prepared to do whatever's necessary to get her on my side again," Jellal replied.

"Good. Than let me call her and you can discuss what you came here for. I think that she had enough time to cool off."

* * *

><p>Erza Knightwalker had a new reason to despise her young King. Not only had he sent her away without a reason but seeing him again had her lose the control of her temper and mouth. She had insulted him, deliberately striking at his position and disrespecting him. And all because she had underestimated just how hurt she had been by his dismissal.<p>

There was no one in the training grounds with her, everyone else was most likely scared to death of her, as they should be. She stroke at the straw figure in front of her again, the cloth tearing and the straw spilling out as a blood would from a human being.

This was unacceptable, she decided. She was one of the most loyal people to the crown. What did it matter that the crown was on the head of such a brat? She hadn't seen an eye to eye with Faust before and she had never reacted like this. Then again, Faust had always valued her, had never dismissed her like Jellal had, not even after she had failed to track down the Fairy Tail for the second and third time. Faust had appreciated her and she had always wanted to be appreciated.

Erza knew she was proud but she had never realized how deep her pride ran or how much it was intertwined with her sense of self-worth. Giving one last shattering blow to the figure, it split at the seams and tumbled to the ground. She was a good fighter, she was a good soldier and she was more than capable of taking reign of her own temper. She would go and listen to what Jellal wanted to say to her and she would try and see him as her King, not as the man who had so thoughtlessly tossed her away.

Yes, that was a good plan, she nodded to herself, turning away from the destruction she had caused. She would show him how much he had underestimated her. She would prove herself to be a bigger person, able to put her personal feelings aside for the sake of her duty. And hopefully, he had rid himself of that terrible cloak and staves that had prompted her outburst at the welcome in the first place. Seeing him dressed just like he had been when she had seen him for the first time, when he had clearly chosen the side of their enemies, had brought her rage at him and her own inability to stop those people bubbling to the surface and she had lashed out. No more of that. She was the Ice Queen of the MFU, not easily perturbed by anything and she would stay true to her reputation, no matter what.

"Captain Knightwalker?" a young voice piped up from the side. One of the pages stood there, visibly trembling.

"What is it?" she barked out but had a good guess just why he was there.

"His Highness, Lord Faust, is asking for your presence in the study immediately."

"I'll be there shortly," she flashed a mirthless smile in the page's direction, terrifying the poor boy even more. "I need to clean up first."

"I-I'll tell them, Ma'am."

The page fled and Erza dropped the smile. Tell them. Of course, Jellal would be there as well. She knew what she had to do but it didn't make it any easier on her. But she had always faced everything head on and she wouldn't back away from this challenge.

* * *

><p>The door swung open and a page stuck his head in.<p>

"Captain Knightwalker has arrived," he announced. Jellal took a deep breath. The moment was here.

"Send her in," he ordered, surprised that his voice didn't tremble more. Faust coughed somewhere behind him and Jellal was sure that this time it was a suppressed laugh instead of something else. His father seemed to get a kick out of seeing him fall to pieces before meeting Erza. That old sadist, Jellal thought almost fondly.

Erza stepped in, no longer dressed in her armor and instead wearing an uniform similar to Hughes'. She closed the door behind her and stood there for a moment, almost looking vulnerable. And then the impression dissolved as she straightened up, her gaze meeting his head on.

"Your Majesty, Your Highness," she acknowledged both of them. "Permission to speak freely?"

"Granted," Jellal said, curious to what she wanted to say. She turned to stare in his direction, her face freezing even more.

"Your Majesty, please accept my apology for the behaviour I displayed upon your arrival. My conduct was inexcusable and I regret losing my temper that way."

Jellal waited for a moment if she would add more but it was clear this was all he was getting. He noticed that she had apologized for her breach of conduct but not for the words she had said. Erza was not a liar and that could only mean she had meant those words she had told him. But still, even this half-apology was more than he had expected.

"Apology accepted, Captain."

"Thank you, Your Majesty. May I ask as for the reason for my presence?"

Grateful that she was going straight to business, Jellal gathered all of his materials and started to spread them over the main desk.

"I was told that you had been in charge of planning an invasion into Umbria, several months ago."

"Correct."

"I need you to pick up those plans, adjust them to the current situation and then proceed with the invasion as soon as possible."

Erza picked up a military map of Umbria before levelling him with a look.

"I would think you had other things to worry about than an insurgence in some backwater land."

"It is vital that we reclaim Umbria as soon as possible," Jellal replied and proceeded to explain what Laharl Feyman and his team had found out. Erza was listening intently, looking over the documents he was handing her as he recapitulated everything he had remembered from Laharl's explanation. But as he got to the part of needing to get Umbria back, she shook her head and dropped the papers down.

"No, the invasion won't work. Not enough time."

"But they said you are the best," Jellal protested and then recoiled from her as she snarled.

"I AM the best but I don't do miracles. Just planning the campaign alone would take two to three months. Then you have to consider the travelling distance, the units that would take part, the supply lines. There is a reconaissance work to be done since we have no idea what we are facing. The soldiers are yet to be retrained from relying on the magic so much and there is not enough of them anyway. You can't afford to pull those we have from the rescue efforts."

"So I came here for nothing."

"I wouldn't say that," she said pleasantly before changing her demeanour completely. "You would do well to remember that underestimating me is never a good idea, Your Majesty. I said the invasion wouldn't work, not that the situation was hopeless."

"You have an idea?"

Erza nodded, tapping the blue binder with an RSA logo.

"Did Laharl say how big the mobile Anima they are building would be?"

"I don't think so. Why?"

"Have him build it as small as possible. I'm not much of an engineer but I think they should be able to construct one that could be carried by a single minor Legyon. And if they could make it so it's possible to deconstruct and reconstruct it easily, that would be even better."

"I think they planned to do that from the beginning."

"Good," Erza said as she stared at the map unseeingly. "How long will that take?"

"Laharl estimated a week at most," Jellal spoke slowly, trying to guess what she meant by all of those questions.

"Have them send it to this outpost once they are done. It's the closest one to Asenai port. There are ships in there that frequently cross the sea to Umbria," she looked up and smirked at his expression. "An invasion won't work. An infiltration just might."

"An infiltration."

"Of course. Don't send an army. Too much time to prepare and really obvious once it sets out. Send in a small team, five people or less. That many can be spared without any trouble and if the Anima is built small enough, they will have no problems in transporting it where it's needed. The best thing is that those ruffians who are in charge in Umbria nowadays will be none the wiser about it."

She looked incredibly proud of herself for thinking that up and Jellal had to admit that she had every right to be. Was this what his father had meant by her adaptability? He had asked his other Captains for an advice and they all had come up with the invasion idea. Even knowing the difficulties inherent in such a solution, they had clung to it, choosing to waste their time and effort on overcoming said difficulties instead of trying to find a new solution. Erza was different and Jellal wanted to smack himself for letting his idiocy and inability in dealing with his new situation drive her away.

"Do you have any suggestions about the members of that team?" Faust joined their conversation, seeing as Erza was engrossed in basking in her victory and Jellal was watching her with the most peculiar expression on his face.

"I would like to lead it," Erza said challengingly, turning to stare at Jellal who just nodded. "As for the rest, I want to think it over. I need to go over the information on Umbria first, see what kind of people I should take."

"The latest news are here," Jellal handed her the other two binders. She didn't open them but instead tucked them under her arm.

"I'll get back to you early in the morning. If you'll excuse me," she gave a short nods to both men and strode out of the room. Jellal sank back into the chair by the chessboard, rubbing his face tiredly.

"Well, that went better than I expected," Faust commented as he limped over to sit down as well.

"I agree. I'm still in one piece."

"She wouldn't have attacked you outright. I was more concerned about having to break up an argument. Then again, maybe a physical fight between the two of you wouldn't be such a bad idea," Faust mused, watching with amusement as Jellal bolted out of his chair.

"She would pulverize me," he said in shock. "How could you even suggest that?"

"Don't sell yourself short, Jellal. From what I heard, you held your ground nicely against the Demon Lord," his father mocked.

"That fight was staged and you know it," Jellal accused.

"That brat didn't seem capable of really holding back, though."

"No, Natsu always gave his everything to the fight," Jellal smiled a bit. "Still, I'm not stupid enough to challenge Erza to a fight."

"It would help with the tension."

"What tension?" Jellal asked, more defensively than he had meant.

"I'm old and most likely getting senile but even I can see that there is something unspoken going on between the two of you. Both of you have forced yourself to behave politely and ignore it but unless it's brought out into the open, you'll keep clashing over mundane things. You and Erza need to talk. You need to tell her why you sent her away and she needs to tell you why she dislikes you so much, instead of hiding behind other reasons."

"Full disclosure, father?"

"Yes, in a way. You have a week, Jellal. Think on it. It's not just about you."

"I know. I'll talk to her tommorrow. I promise."

_Besides_, he added to himself, _if I want to go to Umbria with her, I need to clear things up. I'm going to take responsibility for this and she will have to let me. I just hope she won't kill me once I confess everything._

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** I keep torturing them both, huh? But I'd like to address something regarding my treatment of the characters in this fic. Jellal and Erza, as they are written in _Divided We Stand_, are very different from my portrayal of them in my other fics, especially in _Royalty_, _Arrangement_, _Duty_ and _Fate_, otherwise known as the _Restoration series_. In those fics, they are ruled by their brains more. They think before they act, they contemplate their actions more, they behave like rational adults. _Divided We Stand_ puts them in a difficult situation. A situation that has them reacting more emotionally than rationally. Their world is falling apart and so they lash out. They are forced to face their inner demons and fears. They are not perfect, they are flawed and the flaws are pushed forth and focused on. But by confronting their ugly sides, they become better people. Also, it makes for great drama and angst :p

Anyway, the shit is going to hit the fan for real next chapter, if you pardon my French. Jellal is going to come clear about the magic and Erza will not be happy about that. Let's make it another week, ok? Ja ne...


	5. Stalemate

Not much to say this time... the explanation for the lateness of this is at the bottom. For now, enjoy the chapter... Some warning, though, for excessive violence and swearing. Erza is pissed.

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><p><strong>Chapter 5:<strong> Stalemate

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><p>"While the finalization of the plans will have to wait until we receive specifics from the RSA, I believe that two people should be enough for a successful conclusion."<p>

Jellal looked at Erza as she finished her preliminary report.

"Only two? Does that include you or not?"

"Two people, including me," she replied, closing one binder. "Since this is going to be a low-scale infiltration, there is no need for more people. And the only reason I'm asking for another helper is that I'm not sure how well I'd be able to manipulate the Anima on my own."

"I see," Jellal looked out the window. This complicated things. A lot. Even though he had slept better last night than for a month before that, he still felt tired and he wasn't sure if he was capable of persuading Erza to take him along. He could always order her but that was just asking for trouble in the long run. He turned back to her. "Do you have anyone in mind?"

Erza shook her head.

"Not yet. Ideally, I would take someone from RSA but the probability of fighting is too high to take a civillian along. Someone who can fight is a better choice."

"I can fight," Jellal said quickly before he changed his mind. Erza cocked her head to a side.

"Excuse me?"

"I said I could fight. I want to go along, Erza."

There, it was out in the open.

"You must be joking," she said, her face carefully blank.

"It's not a joke, Erza. I want, no, I need to go and do this."

"While I appreciate your willingness to risk your life for the sake of the kingdom, I can't allow that," Erza picked her words with care. The stifled politeness they had been treating each other with was tedious but preferable to another conflict.

"I don't have to ask for your permission," Jellal reminded her before he could stop himself. Erza drew herself up, her glare icy as she shot back.

"Yes, you do. You put me in charge of this operation and since I know better than you what is needed, I have a say in who goes. You would be an unnecessary burden. No matter how many delusions of heroism you have, I won't let you come along."

"I don't have any delusions of heroism. It is my responsibility to do this."

"You are the King. Your responsibility is to pick the best person for the job and you have already done that. Now you leave it in my hands."

Jellal drummed his fingers against the tabletop. The massive table was currently standing between him and Erza and it was guaranteed to at least slow her down. He hoped.

"How much do you know about what happened in the Royal Capital when the magic disappeared?" he asked, turning away from her.

"I don't understand-"

"Just answer me, Captain."

"Yes, Sir," the venom was back in her voice and Jellal flinched. "King Faust, wielding Doroma Anim, engaged the three Earthland Dragon Slayers in battle while the rest of the armed forces fought the Fairy Tail members from both Earthland and Edolas. You were presumed to be out of the fight after being shot down by your father for siding with the Fairy Tail. The Dragon Slayers defeated His Majesty and proceeded to go for the Capital. Their leader, the one known as Natsu Dragneel, called himself the Demon Lord and somehow managed to activate the reverse Anima which then proceeded to suck out the magic from the land. At that point, you entered the battle again and fought your former comrade who had betrayed you. You were victorious but you were too late to stop the reverse Anima and it took away not only the magic but all of the Exceeds and the Earthland traitors as well. Due to the massive injuries sustained in his fight, His Majesty was declared unable to rule and since your heroic action was considered enough of a redemption for your previous misdirected allegiance, you were asked to accept the throne prematurely."

"So that's the official story, huh?"

"I'm not surprised that there is more to that," Erza remarked. "But this is what the majority of people believe to have happened and I'm sure that most of the details are correct."

"But not all of them," Jellal said. He stood up and though it was unwise to turn his back on her, he didn't want to see her expression once he started filling in the holes of that little story. "Natsu had very little to do with the activation of the Anima. He just made a convenient villain and it gave him an opportunity to fight me. He always sought to fight those who were strong in the guild."

Jellal almost turned to smile at her, to share in his fond memories with someone before remembering that this woman would not find anything amusing in them.

"Anyway," he continued. "Natsu was a scapegoat. He offered himself to take that place after he learned of the plan through the Exceeds."

"What plan?" her voice was low and it was hard to tell her mood from it.

"The plan to open the Anima, take away all of the magic, blame it on someone and then have someone else defeat them. That victory would make that someone into a hero. When I first came up with that plan, I wanted Lily to become that hero while I would be the villain in that ploy. Unfortunately, while the first part with opening the Anima went off perfectly, the rest got complicated."

Jellal paused, giving Erza a chance to say something, anything at all. But all he got from her was an ominous silence. If not for her heavier breathing, he wouldn't even know she was present.

"Lily refused to kill me, no matter how much I begged him. He even suggested changing places but then it would be me who was unable to carry it out. We were stuck, the magic was being drained away, my plan was in shambles and then Natsu made his appearance. He saved my plan, even though I never wanted to take up the throne. Yet I went along because it was something that was needed to be done and no one was left to do it. So I shouldered the responsibility I didn't ask for and tried to make the best of it. But then this happened and I know it's my fault and that's why I need to see this through. Erza," he faced her again, aware of how important it was to persuade her but she was avoiding his eyes. "I am at fault for this. It was my doing that brought this on and it's only right that I do everything in my power to make it right."

"What good will it bring? You hate it here anyway, why not let it all go to hell?" she asked in a hollow voice before turning away and striding out of the room, leaving Jellal to stare after her. That he hadn't expected. Shouting, cursing, violence, all of that would be preferable to that terrible emptiness and resignation she had spoken with. The thud of the closing door jolted him out of his shock and he ran after her. She shouldn't have left like that. She was supposed to get angry at him, chew him out for being a selfish bastard before relenting and take him along so he could make his penance.

"Erza!" he shouted after her retreating form but she ignored him completely. Jellal swore to himself quietly before following her down the corridors. She was heading outside, he could tell and for a wild, fleeting moment of insanity Jellal thought she was going to take one of the Legyons and leave forever. But she didn't head for the stables but rather for the training grounds. He gained enough of a distance to hear her sending away the few soldiers who had been doing an early exercise, the men passing him with only a nod of respect as they hurried away from the volatile woman.

"Erza?" he asked as he came into the small arena. Erza's back was turned to him and she was shaking, most likely in fury.

"Are you suicidal?" she asked in that low voice of hers, keeping her back to him. Jellal took a few steps towards her and she tensed as his steps disturbed the gravel and then the sand within the arena.

"I don't know," he replied, quiet honestly.

"Because that is the only explanation I can find for you doing something so monumentally stupid as you did."

"I'm aware that it wasn't the best plan ever made but-"

"I'm not talking about that plan of yours. I'm talking about confessing the truth to me. Do you have any idea how close I am to just snapping and pounding your face in? How I would love to break every single bone in your body one at a time? How I want to stab you over and over until you bleed to death? I want to kill you, slowly and painfully, taking my time and pleasure watching you die. I want to bathe in your blood and drown in the sound of your painful screams as I drain you of every single speck of life you have in you. Do you know how much it costs me to hold myself back?"

"Then why don't you do it?" Jellal offered, both repulsed and fascinated by her words. Such malice, such cruelty in a being that looked so familiar brought back his ache and longing for Earthland tenfold. "We both know I deserve it."

She finally turned to face him. Gone was the mask of politeness from before. Gone was the brief flash of despair after he had told his story. All that was left was a loathing sneer directed at him.

"And give you the easy way out? Oh please, Your Majesty. What do you take me for? I won't give you the absolution you seem to seek. Because I know that no torture I could come up with will ever compare to your guilt. And frankly, seeing you suffer is amusing. Very, very amusing," a malicious smile curled up an edge of her lips.

"So my regret counts for nothing then, hm?"

They were staring at each other, Erza more calm than before but still regarding with with that hateful look. Jellal looked away, unable to watch that hatred focused on him anymore.

"You regret for all the wrong reasons," Erza said at last. And then, just to twist the knife in deeper, she added. "I have reconsidered my recommendation for this mission. One person will be enough. You are not needed nor wanted. I myself will be enough."

"Erza..."

"After all," she said more to herself than him. "At least I give a care about this world. Unlike you."

Turning sharply from him, she tossed over her shoulder.

"Don't let me keep you, Your Majesty. I'm sure you have some self-pity to wallow in."

"You reminded me of her!" Jellal called out to stop her, instinctively knowing that this was the breaking point. "Not just your face but your behaviour as well. That almost fanatical loyalty to your cause. That single-minded devotion to protecting what you hold dear."

She stopped in her tracks at his first words and then angrily stalked back until they were nose to nose.

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"Why I sent you away. You deserve to know, Erza. I sent you away because I hated it here at first. I didn't want this world and this responsibility but I thought I could cope. But you were there, a constant reminder of everything I have left behind. And I couldn't help but feel ashamed that I missed Earthland so much. Edolas is my homeland, I was supposed to care for it. But all I could feel was a resentment that I was chained to a throne I didn't ask for. I had been willing to die for both Edolas and Earthland but instead I was expected to live for it. And I couldn't deal with that, okay?" Jellal was shouting by now. "And there you were, always going on about what Edolas needs, flaunting your devotion and dedication. Being everything, feeling everything that I was supposed to be, to feel. And I wanted to hate you for making me feel so guilty about my feelings but ironically, I would hate myself more because I knew that you didn't deserve that hatred from me. And so I did the only thing I could think of. I got rid of the source of my troubles because I am a selfish coward. And I regretted it ever since but I was unwilling to apologize because that would mean explaining myself to you and I just couldn't do it."

Taking deep breaths, Jellal felt like a load was lifted from his shoulders. It was true what they said. Talking about your problems truly did help making a person feel better. And then his world exploded in pain. Erza had caught him with a vicious uppercut to his chin, sending him to the sandy ground of the arena.

"You fucking bastard!"

Another blow sent his head sharply to the side as she pinned him to the ground, attempting to bash in his face. Jellal's self-preservation instincts kicked in and he blocked her next strike, catching her wrist and pulling her fist away from his face. She immediately attempted to hit him with her free hand but he caught that one as well. There was a brief stalemate between had managed to immobilize her temporarily but he wearily awaited the next attack. It came suddenly as Erza reared her head back and smashed it into his face. The sharp pain in his forehead had Jellal releasing her hands and she quickly jumped to her feet. Acting on an instinct alone, Jellal rolled away just in time to avoid a kick to the ribs. Glancing at her face, he cold see how furious she was.

He slowly climbed to his feet and they stood in silence, only a couple of steps separating them. Both were breathing heavily. Feeling a wetness on his chin, Jellal wiped at his face, not at all surprised to see blood on his fingertips. She had cracked him good with the very first blow. He raised his eyes to her again, seeing how she visibly trembled from the strain of holding herself back. He didn't want that. He wanted her to unleash her fury. Erza was a force of nature and maybe if he withstood her rage, he could gain a small measure of her respect. That insane thought prompted his next words.

"Is that all you have, Captain?"

The control snapped and Erza lanched herself at him with an incoherent scream of outrage. Her attack pattern was strangely predictable but Jellal dismissed it as her fury blinding her strategic mind. He easily caught both of her wrists again but he didn't expect her to twist in his grasp, yank him closer and ram her knee into his gut. He doubled over in pain, his grip on her slacking and she tore free, balling her hands together and sending them into his back from above. Jellal went crashing down, his breath knocked out of him as a sharp kick to the side sent him tumbling along the ground.

"Don't. Provoke. Me," Erza breathed out forcefully. "And don't fucking underestimate me!" she punctuated her words with another kick. "I could kill you so easily it's not even funny. But you don't deserve an easy way out. You deserve nothing at all!"

Jellal turned his head to watch her vent. He knew he would be one giant bruise come evening, but strangely enough, he thought it had been worth it.

"I know I don't deserve anything," he gasped out, bringing her attention back to him. "Dammit Erza! You think I'm so stupid as to think I'm entitled to something? I just want a chance to correct my mistakes."

"To soothe your conscience?" she snarled at him.

"Partially. But I have finally decided to step up to my duty. Does that count for nothing?"

Erza cocked her head to the side, a calculating gleam entering her eyes. She knelt down next to him and fisted one hand in his shirt, lifting him until they were nose to nose again.

"Very well, I'll let you earn your redemption. But it will be on my conditions."

"Anything."

"I am the one in charge. From now on, you have no say in this mission. My word is absolute for everyone, including you. Moreover, you are no longer my King. You will receive no respect, you will have no power. As far as I'm concerned, you are the lowest of my soldiers. Do you agree?"

It was not like he had much of a choice. He gave a short nod.

"I agree," he confirmed verbally. She let his shirt go then, his head dropping down painfully.

"I'll have the details of the mission ready by noon. You are to memorize them by the evening when we will meet in here to assess your combat readiness. From what I have seen, your skills are abysmal and I'm not taking a dead weight along. And Jellal," she turned away with a smirk, "Clean up. You are dirty."

With that parting shot, she left him laying there, not considering him worthy of even one last glare. Jellal ran his hand down his face, not really aware of the blood he was smearing across his cheeks. He wasn't inclined to cursing but there was only one word to sum up the situation.

"Fuck!"

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><p><strong>AN:** Not very pretty, huh? The question is, will it get better or worse from now on? That's for me to know and you to find out ;) Anyway, lateness is due to school and a persistent DBZ plot bunny that wouldn't leave me the **** alone. I finally got it out of my system so I hope to update more regularly. Until then...  
>P.S.: Do check out my oneshot <em>Comrades in Arms<em>, since the backstory for Erza in there is the same as for this fic. Not really important for the plot but interesting enough, I think.


	6. Intermission

Two weeks since last update, let's try to keep it like that, ok? We're slowly shifting into the main part of the story so the rating will go up to M in a couple of chapters, too. Other than that, enjoy.

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><p><strong>Chapter 6:<strong> Intermission

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><p>The physician didn't comment on Jellal's injuries and Jellal was grateful for that. Besides, it was more than likely that the rumour mill was already spreading the facts that Jellal had followed obviously angry Erza into the training grounds and had then turned up at the physician's office half-an-hour later, beaten up. Even those who were slower in thinking would be able to connect the dots without too much of an effort.<p>

"You just have bruising on your chest and side. None of the ribs are cracked so that's a good news. Your nose is fine, too, not broken at all. Your jaw is bruised so once it swells, you might feel pain when moving it. Two of your teeth are loose but overall, you should heal in less than a week."

"Thank you," Jellal mumbled as the physician turned away, busying himself with preparing some kind of poultice.

"Put this on the bruises. It speeds up the healing."

Walking out of the office, Jellal felt every place that Erza had hit him in ache. And from what he had understood of her words, he was in for more of the same treatment later on, all under the disguise of training him so he wouldn't be a burden on the journey to Umbria.

"The things I do for this country," he muttered sarcastically before a stab of guilt assaulted his conscience. Yes, he was doing it for Edolas and he would better remember that.

"You look terrible," his father's voice tore him out of his thoughts. "What happened to you?"

"Nothing, father," Jellal replied, slowing down to compensate for his father's shuffling steps.

"That doesn't look like nothing," Faust appraised his son. "You look like someone who got on the bad side of Erza's temper."

A slight twitch of Jellal's face let the former King know he was right. Well, well, that was interesting.

"What did you say to her?"

"Just the truth."

"Ah, she didn't take it well, I guess."

"Her initial reaction was a graphic description of how much she wants to kill me."

"And then tried to do it?" Faust hadn't thought Erza would have taken it so badly.

"No," Jellal shook his head in negative and immediately regretted it when a splitting pain hit him behind the eyes. "It was just a demonstration of what she could do to me if she chose to and how I would be unable to stop her."

"So, a physical pain with an added dose of humiliation. Sounds just like her," Faust nodded approvingly and Jellal shot him a dark glare.

"I am your son," he pointed out but Faust leveled a reproaching gaze at him.

"Do you really want to go into how not filial you have behaved in the recent years?"

"No," Jellal sighed. "I think I'm going to lay down and try to recuperate a bit before the evening."

"Why?"

"I'm going to Umbria with Erza and she said she would assess my combat skills this evening."

Faust winced at that. An assessment in Erza's mind meant throwing her all at her opponent and then pointing out all of their flaws. After she had exploited them mercilessly, of course. He had seen her use this tactic with new recruits often enough to be able to imagine how much pain Jellal was going to be in at the end of it all.

"I would have a physician close by," he advised before parting from his son and heading for late breakfast.

"I'll keep that in mind," Jellal called out before limping to his room to get at least a little rest and lick his wounds, metaphorically speaking.

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><p>Tiny sparkles of light danced around the room, reflecting on the ancient stone walls, the source of light being a giant crystal half submerged in water in the middle of the room. A young woman leaned over the age of the natural pond, wiggling her fingers in the water.<p>

"It's really thick," she commented. "It doesn't feel like a water at all."

"It's not a water, that's why," a deeper voice replied to her and she looked over at a man who was nonchalantly leaning against the remains of a pillar.

"I know, Bozu," the woman frowned at the dark-skinned bald man. "It still looks like a water, though."

"I know better than to argue with ya," Bozu said and the woman stuck out a tongue at him. "How long are ya gonna sit here, anyway, Sue?"

"I like it here. It's so... peaceful," Sue said, looking back at the crystal. "I have never seen a lachrima like this. It even feels different."

"Bozu! Sue!" another voice echoed through the cavernous space and a man emerged at the far side of the room, barely visible in the dim light being casted from the lachrima.

"Totomaru!" Sue waved cheerfully at him. "What's up?"

The man named Totomaru came closer, the tattoos on his face standing up in stark contrast to his skin.

"Master is going to give a speech. Aria finally managed to harness that small piece of lachrima we chipped off of this one."

Sue jumped to her feet and Bozu straightened.

"For real?" they cried out in unison. Totomaru nodded and grinned.

"Very soon, we'll be able to use magic again."

"Who'd have thought?" Bozu said quietly, gazing at his surroundings. "Everyone thought that magic was gone for good and bam! A source is found in the middle of nowhere."

"Literally," Sue grumbled. "Umbria is soooo backwards it's not even funny."

"Be glad to be alive," Totomaru admonished. "I have seen what Fairy Hunter did to some of the other mages. She's a demon in a human skin."

"Whatever. Say, are the rumours true? About those disasters striking Edolas?"

"Master knows more, he will tell us."

Hurrying down the long corridor and avoiding some of the places where the masonry had crumbled down to nothing, the three of them emerged into a large courtyard already filled with many other people. They were just milling around as if waiting for something to start. Some of them kept to the edges of the place, avoiding the sun rays that were beating down on them mercilessly. The others ignored the discomfort and talked in hushed voices among each other. An expectant silence fell on the crowd as a large door in the back opened and a tall, black dressed man strode out, followed by another man even larger than him.

The tall man walked purposefully through the crowd, his face hidden in a shadow of a large hat. People made space for him almost reverently and he seemed to bask in the attention. Coming to a stop at a makeshift podium, he climbed on it and turned to the crowd, the other man quietly taking a place to his right.

"My dear fellow mages and refugees from the Edolas' law. Long have we been hiding in the shadows. Long have we been looking over our shoulders for a coming danger. Long have we been denied our rights. But no more!" he thundered. "They say magic is gone from the rest of the world. They say the world is being hit by many natural disasters. They say that Edolas' rule is crumbling down even as I speak. And that is good. That is justice. That is a rightful retribution for the evil done to us. We have done no wrong. The Kingdom targeted us because we didn't become its obedient lapdogs. The Kingdom tried to get rid of us because we didn't fit into their vision of the world. The Kingdom killed our friends and colleagues and called it a just thing. And now, it's time for us to take back what is rightfully ours."

He stepped forward, his eyes sweeping along the crowd, catching gazes of those who knew him and holding them for a moment each.

"Many of you know me. I am Jose Fiebra. I used to be the Guild Master of the Phantom Lord mage guild. After the order to disband came to us, we tried to resist and the Kingdom crushed us down easily. They had more magic and more people than us and we had to disgracefully leave Edolas. They sent us to Umbria, thinking that the nothingness in here would crush our spirits. But they were wrong about that because the nothingness of Umbria yielded us a price above all others," a sweeping gesture of his arm encompassed the ruined ancient city they were in. "These ruins have been here since before the Kingdom. The people who built them are long gone but their city still stands and it has provided us with a shelter far from the shore and those who seek to do the same as the Kingdom and control us. But there is a greater gift, yet. You know about the underground room and what is found there. A lachrima unlike any other. And we have finally uncovered its secrets. Aria," Jose stepped back, yielding the stage to the large man.

Aria stepped forward, his face an emotionless mask. He lifted a short tube that several mages recognized as a tool of air magic. None of the magic tools had been working for over two months. But as everyone caught their breath in anticipation, Aria activated it and a sudden gust of wind swept over the audience. People gasped in wonder but the demonstration was not yet at the end. Carefully manipulating the tube, Aria raised into the air, held there by the air magic.

And as it settled down in people's mind that what they were seeing was real, they burst into an applause, calling out Jose's name periodically. The man himself smiled tightly and stepped forward, shouting over the crowd.

"It's time for us to take back what is rightfully ours and these ruins gave us the means to do that. We will rise again, under the banner of the Phantom Lord. Are you going with us?"

The resounding yes echoed long around the courtyard, slowly fading into the excited murmurs of the people who had just gained back their hope and pride. Jose nodded to himself. Yes, it was time to reclaim what had been lost. And with the situation in the rest of the world being as it was, there was no one who would be able to stop them. The future was suddenly brighter than ever before.

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><p><strong>AN:** Shorter chapter but important to the plot. You didn't think that I would make it easy on Jellal and Erza to shut down the anti-magic, did you? Anyway, the crystal in the water thing was inspired by Final Fantasy VII and its Mako caves with Materia. Materia and lachrima are, after all, very similar in usage, aren't they?


End file.
